UTC Reading students are first in the UK to get professional Microsoft qualifications

10 students from UTC Reading are the first in the country to become Microsoft Office Specialists (MOS) in the 2013 version of Microsoft Office.

10 students from UTC Reading are the first in the country to become Microsoft Office Specialists (MOS) in the 2013 version of Microsoft Office.

The students have all become MOS in Microsoft Word, with three students also passing the Microsoft Excel exam. This is a great achievement for all, particularly Year 10 students Rebekah Kinchin and Yeukai Jiri and Year 12 students Suraj Dhaliwal, Robert McNeil and Robert Drake who scored 83% - 88% in their exam - well above the 70% pass rate.

Rebekah Kinchin, 14 from Basingstoke who passed both the Word and Excel exams said: “The training was really good, I learnt quite a lot of new things so was less nervous during the exams. I was really happy and quite proud when I found out we were the first students to pass. This will set me apart from other people when I apply for jobs in the future.”

The MOS programme is a professional qualification from Microsoft that is recognised worldwide. Individuals can become specialists in each element of Microsoft Office and once they have successfully passed all six exams will become a Microsoft Office Master. Those students who have passed two exams did so in two weeks, and are now a third of the way to becoming a Master. For many adults to achieve Master status, this often takes 18 months to two years.

The focus at UTC Reading is on independent learning, and students train for the MOS exams in their own time and they choose when to sit the exam. The students have made the decision to set themselves apart from the crowd by gaining professional qualifications.

Daniel Sydes, Director of Computer Science and Mathematics commented: “We support and encourage our students who decide to sit these professional qualifications as they are an important part of what sets a UTC graduate apart from the crowd.

“By partnering academic and professional qualifications, we are equipping students for employment in the modern IT and engineering workplace.”

Associate industry partner Prodigy Learning, who are the only Certiport Solution Provider in the UK provide all learning materials and manage the exam process. They were able to confirm that the UTC students were the first in the country to pass the exams.

As part of their own professional development, staff at the UTC are also training and taking the MOS exams. Daniel Sydes has passed the Word, Excel and PowerPoint exams and mathematics teacher Martin Standfield is a Word and Excel MOS. It’s important for staff to keep up to date with the latest training to be able to use it in classes.